Don't Wanna Be Alone
by Soul of The Wind
Summary: When Rogue feels frightened from strange dreams, she finds comfort in someone she would have never expected. Post X1.


Disclaimer: Yada, yada, I own nothing, blah blah, Marvel owns X-men, Fox owns the Movieverse.

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She gasped out in pain, sitting straight up in her bed. She could feel the sweat dripping down her neck as she forced her breathing to slow.

It had all been _so_ real; The men in uniform forcing her away from her family, the needle piercing her skin, branding her, the hopelessness inside her prison. Then it had all switched. She had been in some kind of laboratory, in water, and in _so_ much pain. She knew that none of it had been her, really, that those memories belonged to Magneto and Wolverine, respectively, but she couldn't shake the overwhelming feelings of fear from both. Fear and loneliness.

She glanced around her darkened room, a small whimper escaping her lips. She knew that she was safe in her new home. Professor Xavier had promised that. Still, she couldn't shake the remnants of her dreams, nightmares she mentally corrected herself.

For the first time, Rogue wished she had a roommate. Due to her curse, her life-force sucking, power-stealing, making-her-a-literal-untouchable gift, Xavier thought it best she had her own dorm. Just in case, effectively making her feel more isolated. She had always enjoyed the privacy somewhat, but now she just wished someone else was in the room, making it seem more...more...alive.

A branch scratched across her bedroom window, making Rogue jump slightly and whimper again. No, she didn't want to be alone anymore. With that in mind, she threw her blankets off and slipped from bed, grabbing the pair of gloves that always resided on her bedside table and pulling them on. She shuffled to her door, creaking it open and slipping out, slightly regretting her decision not to put on socks. The hard wood floor on the hall was cold.

She turned her head left, then right, chewing on her lip as she tried to figure out where to go. Her thoughts jumped to Logan, but him being gone ruled that out. Jubilee and Kitty maybe? No, they'd kill her for disturbing their beauty sleep because she was lonely. Lonely and scared, her mind chastised lightly. Jean, Scott, and Ororo were simply out of the question, they were teachers, and wouldn't understand. Xavier drifted in her mind for a moment before she realized she had no idea where or if he slept. She considered going to the rec room and sitting with the insomniac who resided there, but he wouldn't calm her. Then it dawned on her. Bobby.

Bobby was her rumored boyfriend. He hadn't actually asked her out, but neither of them had denied the rumors. Bobby wouldn't mind being there for her when she needed him the most. With a small smile that disappeared when she stepped out into the hall and a floorboard squeaked Rogue made her way to the boy's dorm. It took her a full ten minutes to make it there, the eerie silence of the mansion making her want to run and walk at a snail's pace at the same time. When she finally reached the correct room, she hesitated. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. She was being silly. It was all in her mind. Her mind quickly changed when out of the corner of her eye she saw _something _move. Before she knew what was happening, her fist was rapping on the door. She heard something shuffling inside the room and took a step back, her right hand grabbing her left forearm. When the door opened, she waited for the piercing blue eyes. They never came.

How could she have been so stupid? Just because she didn't have a roommate didn't mean that Bobby didn't. John Allerdyce, better known as Pyro, was staring at her, a look of confusion, mixed with tiredness and anger, on his face.

"What the fuck?" He asked his voice laced with sleep. She opened her mouth slightly, and then closed it. She opened it again, with the honest intent to ask the other to retrieve Bobby, but, once again, her mind acted of its own accord.

"Ah don't wanna be alone."

John raised an eyebrow at the confession. "You don't wanna be alone?" The sleep was gone from his voice. A blush crept up to her cheeks, and she knew there would be no denying it, so she shook her head. "I suppose you want me to get the Ice-Prick then?" There was obvious distaste in his words.

The something to her right moved again and the image all but flew at her. Being dragged away, reaching out, the fear of being alone. With another whimper she launched herself at John, locking her arms around his waist and burying her face in his chest. She thanked what ever god above that it was a chilly night and the pyrotechnic was dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants.

John stared down at the girl, no woman, clinging to him. She sniffled slightly, the images unknown to him all too fresh in her mind, and he made up his mind. He, and not the Ice-Prick, his best friend, was going to solve whatever was wrong with Rogue. It was Bobby's fault for being a heavy sleeper.

He carefully pushed her back, following closely, until they were out of his shared room. He pulled the door close shut with a soft click before turning his attention back to the girl, woman, still pressed to his chest. Slowly, as if afraid he'd frighten her off; he wrapped one arm around her shoulders, the other touching the back of her hair, stroking it lightly.

Rogue sniffed again, knowing she should pull away, but enjoying the comfort of the embrace far too much. She rested her head against him, the tears that were threatening to fall disappearing. She allowed her eyes to flutter close, the awkward petting of her hair chasing away the feelings of loneliness and the one-armed embrace making her feel safe. The gentle raise and fall that accompanied John's breathing oddly reminded her that it was the middle of the night. Soon after that thought, her eyelids felt heavy, despite the fact that they were closed.

"John?" She mumbled, her accent and position making the name slur slightly.

"Hrmm?" He answered. She resisted the urge to nuzzle his chest where the low rumble had occurred.

"Ah should get back to mah room…before Ah fall asleep on yah."

He laughed quietly, and this time she couldn't resist the urge, and nuzzled his chest with her nose and cheek.

"Yeah, I don't think I'd like to spend the rest of the night out here with you drooling on my shirt." He let go of her shoulders, and with one last stroke, and slight tug on her hair, he stepped back, and Rogue let her arms fall to her side. She smiled weakly, her eyes darting around the hall, noticing that it was now 

just a hall, and didn't seem lonely or scary at all. She shuffled her feet and turned to head back to her own room.

"Night, John."

"Night, Rogue."

She made it half way down the boy's dorms hall when she heard him softly call her name. She looked over her, slightly confused.

"You ain't alone." She shot him a shy smile before turning back to walk.

"And Rogue."

She paused.

"I'll see ya tomorrow."

--

Eek. I usually can suppress my urge to write random fluff of pairings I really don't even support. I mean, I read my first Ryro fic only a few hours ago! But, this hit me full force and wouldn't go away. I don't know if I'll write more X-men fanfics, since I have only seen the movies and TV shows, and I'm scared I'd fuck something up and make the whole fandom hate me. But..you never know. The urge might hit again.


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